1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing device which prints image data transmitted from an upper level device, and a method of controlling a printing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, a printing system has been known which includes a printing device and an upper level device delivering print data to the printing device as well as instructing the printing device to perform printing. In this printing system, for example, the upper-level device generates a raster image type of print image data by using a raster image processor (RIP), on the basis of print data written in PDL (Page Description Language) that is transmitted from a host device, and transmits the generated print image data to a printing control unit of the printing device (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-287519).
Unlike the above-described printing system, a printing device is known which includes a printer controller, a printer engine, and data lines for connecting the printer controller and the printer engine (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-254763). In the printing device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-254763, a control line through which various kinds of control information are transmitted and received between the printer controller and the printer engine is separated from the data lines through which printing image data is transmitted and received, thereby realizing high-speed data transmission.
In recent years requirements for a printing system become diversified. Therefore systems that can smoothly meet such a diversity of requirements are in demand. For example, there is likely to be a chance to improve printing performance to cope with an increase in the amount of print which results from expansion of business after a printing system has been introduced already. In such a case, it is possible to cope with an increase in the amount of print by increasing the process performance of a printer controller and a printer engine, in addition to an increase in the process performance of an upper level device. It is also achieved by increasing both of the process performance of an upper level device and the printing performance of a station if the printing type is an ink jet type and the station configured by an ink jet head that ejects ink has room in its printing performance.
As to the upper level device, it is easy to increase the process performance in a way of expanding the hardware configuration. However, printing devices according to the related art are not configured to be able to cope with the expansion of the hardware configuration. Accordingly, there is a problem in that it is difficult to improve the printing performance once a printing system is introduced.